New Software Will Keep Student Lobos on Track

Students at UNM have been used to an arms-length relationship with the university. They make an appointment with an advisor when the need arose, but this year, undergraduate students may feel the university advisors are looking over their shoulder. Miss too many classes and you will hear from your advisor. Receive worrisome grades on quizzes and your advisor will email asking you what’s going on.

A new software program called Lobo Achieve is available to faculty and to UNM undergraduate students this fall. The software allows students to meet their advisors online and schedule appointments. It also notifies them if instructors are concerned about their progress in a course. They can read advisement notes and will receive information about what support services are available to help them with problems. Faculty can email advisors and notify them if a student is struggling in a class.

It’s an effort to catch students who are having difficulty in class and give them assistance before they decide to drop a class and to keep them from failing. UNM has found that when the going gets tough for some students, they simply drop out and walk away so the university is implementing mechanisms to get students the help they need before that happens.

Director of University Advisement Vanessa Harris says the Lobo Achieve software will be available to all students at the main campus and at the branch campuses.

“This is a tool to get students the advice and help they need,” Harris said. “But they will have to be willing to accept the help that is being offered.”

A fringe benefit for students is the ability to receive encouraging messages from instructors when they are doing well.